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Would it make any difference if we stayed in Afghanistan another hundred years? (Original Post) 3catwoman3 Jul 2021 OP
The answer to both questions is no; most definitely no. patphil Jul 2021 #1
Yes, with a heavy footprint that transformed their culture. No doubt, historically it would make... uponit7771 Jul 2021 #2
I was thinking the same thing. Renew Deal Jul 2021 #11
If we put a footprint in like the Romans for 2 generations they'd change no doubt. Now they wouldn't uponit7771 Jul 2021 #15
No; elleng Jul 2021 #3
It would depend what is our goal. sarisataka Jul 2021 #4
I think the mission was to further enrich the creeps in the Military Industrial Complex. zuul Jul 2021 #8
That was a pleasant side effect sarisataka Jul 2021 #14
Leaving will be a disaster SCantiGOP Jul 2021 #5
Completely broken before our arrival. Devil Child Jul 2021 #19
I heard a hawkish commenter say, "But South Korea! Germany!" dawg day Jul 2021 #6
The Graveyard of Empires will not yield to our idea of democracy. I'm only sorry for the girls. nt Hekate Jul 2021 #7
Absolutely not. paleotn Jul 2021 #9
We gave hope to the women of Afghanistan ansible Jul 2021 #10
No and no n/t Devil Child Jul 2021 #12
I would like to know how much it cost per each doc03 Jul 2021 #13
yes. we spend between 2.2 and 4 trillions. drray23 Jul 2021 #18
Wow that would put 38 million Americans through college.. doc03 Jul 2021 #21
Low end- about $20.4k sarisataka Jul 2021 #20
Bonus- how much did it cost YOU sarisataka Jul 2021 #22
Of course it would. tirebiter Jul 2021 #16
Not a damn bit of difference. Our presense there had been a waste of lives and money. Autumn Jul 2021 #17
It depends. IF we were really committed to it, Volaris Jul 2021 #23
Only if we put in the effort to build a pluralistic society dsc Jul 2021 #24
Let's give China a turn. multigraincracker Jul 2021 #25
No..unfortunately. We should never have gone in the first place PortTack Jul 2021 #26

uponit7771

(90,225 posts)
2. Yes, with a heavy footprint that transformed their culture. No doubt, historically it would make...
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:06 PM
Jul 2021

... difference but we don't want a heavy footprint and aren't committed to a society that wasn't pluralistic from the beginning.

uponit7771

(90,225 posts)
15. If we put a footprint in like the Romans for 2 generations they'd change no doubt. Now they wouldn't
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:26 PM
Jul 2021

... have regional support for pluralism but they'd change no doubt.

We would have to have a heavy foot print and replace their governing structure, like Japan ... that was a couple of generations before we reduced our footprint.

sarisataka

(18,220 posts)
4. It would depend what is our goal.
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:13 PM
Jul 2021

A military operation with no purpose is a waste of time.

We started with a purpose, bin Laden, but soon forgot about him. For the last 15 years we have had no real reason to be in Afghanistan, the mission never evolved into an achievable goal.

Iraq was too big of a distraction and an unnecessary one at that.

zuul

(14,615 posts)
8. I think the mission was to further enrich the creeps in the Military Industrial Complex.
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:15 PM
Jul 2021

Mission accomplished!

sarisataka

(18,220 posts)
14. That was a pleasant side effect
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:23 PM
Jul 2021

To give the MIC a steady income stream. Afghanistan didn't really consume enough equipment or require hi-tech items to really enrich anyone.

Now if we "gift" the Afghan army a bunch of equipment rather than remove it- that will be a windfall.

SCantiGOP

(13,856 posts)
5. Leaving will be a disaster
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:14 PM
Jul 2021

The same as it will be if we leave in 5 years, 20 years or 100 years.
We have broken it, and all we can do is leave and let the people who live there sort it out.

dawg day

(7,947 posts)
6. I heard a hawkish commenter say, "But South Korea! Germany!"
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:14 PM
Jul 2021

Definitely great success stories for US occupation.

However... neither are in an active war and haven't been for decades.

 

ansible

(1,718 posts)
10. We gave hope to the women of Afghanistan
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:17 PM
Jul 2021

Only to abandon them to the Taliban. Something to think about.

doc03

(35,148 posts)
13. I would like to know how much it cost per each
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:23 PM
Jul 2021

person in Afganistan. I bet it is in the hundreds of thousands.

drray23

(7,587 posts)
18. yes. we spend between 2.2 and 4 trillions.
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:36 PM
Jul 2021

depending on whose estimate you read and what they put in it. There are 38 millions afghans. So, 4 trillions over 38 millions is a bit over $100, 000 . So somewhere between 50 and 100k .

doc03

(35,148 posts)
21. Wow that would put 38 million Americans through college..
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:39 PM
Jul 2021

or provide health care for every American.

sarisataka

(18,220 posts)
20. Low end- about $20.4k
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:37 PM
Jul 2021

Based on direct expenses of the war ($815B or so) and a population of Afghanistan rounded up to 40M.

If we use the higher number including indirect and ancillary costs of $2.26T, the per person amount goes up to about $56.5k

None of these dollar are including the value of lives lost on both sides.

sarisataka

(18,220 posts)
22. Bonus- how much did it cost YOU
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:47 PM
Jul 2021

The math is more than I want to figure out so I cheated.

According to the DoD comptroller report from March 2019, Afghanistan cost each US taxpayer $3,714 for the direct costs. At that time it was $737M up to FY 2018, so each of us have now spent about $4,000 or so.

tirebiter

(2,520 posts)
16. Of course it would.
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:30 PM
Jul 2021

In fact, allowing Afghanistan to become a state or not would be the subject of argument.

Volaris

(10,260 posts)
23. It depends. IF we were really committed to it,
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:48 PM
Jul 2021

Yes, wed stay. We would act as an occupying police force, AND we would spend the money to turn it into a first world democratic nation state, province by province, and SYSTEMATICALLY we would turn over local governments to self rule under a national govt that, a piece at a time, we would have less and less control over.

It would take, MOST of that hundred years, at a cost of AT LEAST 100 million a year (and thats IF we did it correctly).


I believe it COULD be done. We are NOT willing to spend the resources needed to do it.

dsc

(52,130 posts)
24. Only if we put in the effort to build a pluralistic society
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 04:57 PM
Jul 2021

and they are willing to do so as well. The fact is Japan, Germany, and South Korea are success stories.

PortTack

(32,606 posts)
26. No..unfortunately. We should never have gone in the first place
Thu Jul 8, 2021, 05:02 PM
Jul 2021

But, we have given them support, training, millions of $ in equipment, if they wanted to become a fighting force to defeat the taliban would that have not happened by now?

It’s probably not that simple, we didn’t do the right thing in the first place..so

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